Looks quite homely to a Norwegian though... 🗻🏞🚢🏘 🐻❄️🐳🦀🦭🦅 The thing is, to most Germans blonde wood and light colours are considered exotic. And costly. Their traditional home décor is dark heavy wood. Often with carved patterns. Some times with religious influences. And Tirolean. 🥨🌭🍖🥗🥒🧈🍳🥑🧀🍷🍷🍷🍷🇩🇪🍺🍺🍺🍺 To Scandinavians blonde wood simply means "IKEA" ! Wich of course make us feel right at home... 😘🇳🇴😁🇸🇪😄🇩🇰
Maybe, in this situation of going alone on a cruise, you'd need to get out of your comfort zone and approach some German travellers, and with a little luck, you could join them for dinner and chat with them on excursions. Because, as long as they have the impression that you want to be left alone, they won't approach you.
HAPAG -Lloyd if anyone has an ounce of liner and Atlantic crossing knowledge knows is the remnants of the once 2 great German pre-WW2 lines. Lines that ran such express liners such as the Bremen, Europa, Vaterland and Imperator and were direct competitors to Cunard, White Star and the French lines.
The H-L cruise division was divested from the cargo operator of the same name a number of years ago. I believe the cruise entity was owned by TUI. They kept the H-L name but it no longer part of the global container shipping company.
A few years ago I did a tour in Africa with a company called Nomad where apart from the crew who were African I was the only non German speaking person on the tour. Nomad do run tours with a German translator on board but this was not one of them so the situation was unusual. I was blessed that all the other guests apart from a young child were fluent in English and were happy to switch to English when I was present. I was very grateful.
Gotta admit, even though I spend time looking at foreign (ie non-American) cruise lines, I’ve never heard of these guys. Thanks for taking us on a trip that, quite frankly, few of us will ever take.
I knew instantly which line you were talking about. I’ve told people about them but truth is, most people can’t afford them, much less get past the language barrier. Having and traveled and worked around the world alone or with maybe a couple of coworkers, I’m used to being in the minority of the crowd. So it wouldn’t bother me. But I might take a friend who spoke German just to make it easier.
I always have to grin a bit about the English language being the predominant language question. I as a non native English speaker have to adapt every where since my mother tongue is not a major language. I and many others adapt.
I was thinking that those of us who are first-language English are pretty spoiled. I hope those of you who have to ‘get by’ in English don’t feel like second class customers!
@@mouselovinladyNot at all, but sometimes I think some people should expect that not everyone is fluent or comfortabele using the English language, especially if 'you' visit a country in f.i. Europe or South America.
I'm a Brit & some people may accuse my next statement as being racial profiling, but on going on holiday having the option of being in a predominantly British/American area or a German dominated area I'd take the German area any time. Certainly no one is perfect but generally they seem more civilised than many of us Brits abroad (less up-selling, less nickle & diming, sensible tipping culture). Regarding the language barrier it can be good to challenge yourself & it highlights you are properly on holiday somewhere different not just "home with the thermostat turned up"
Hold on it depends what socioeconomic group the British elements is aimed at because you generally find the more well healed the better the experience . 100% avoid American because its all,about money where as British of a certain back ground don't tip they are polite but expect good service. They might atvthe end of a holiday give financial rewards for exceptional service but tip is something not done . I often see hard working working classes tipping very generally for not very good service. They seem to think tipping is required. Its not
@@keithnewton8981 unfortunately I have found many “well heeled” brits I’ve cruised alongside to be rather rude and entitled, sadly rude and entitled passengers seems to be a growing feature in many cruise lines recently. Sadly money doesn’t buy class in the broadest sense.
My husband's original family is from Germany. He speaks a little, took German in high school, but I have non. We have been looking at this cruise line recently. The kids thing put me off, I will stay with Viking.
As an American, I'd love to give Saga a whirl. Their two new ships Spirit of Discovery & Spirit of Adventure look very posh, boutique-ie. Saga seems like the British equivalent of Viking.
Oh Gary I’m a bit annoyed the large English speaking group didn’t go out there way to include you, they definitely lost out there, I often find that groups on ships act like big school cliques 😂 deliberate or not, I could probably bet they didn’t mix with any of the German passengers either. Interesting change of ship for you and for us to see, cabin looked fab to me as did the food. Interesting re the water, I always find it funny that NCL charge for sparkling water too even though we always have the premier drink package 😁 I’m not keen on still water so ended up with club sodas instead! I think it would really need to be an exceptional itinerary for me to try this line, I rightly or wrongly would feel a little marginalised, I’m embarrassed not to having a true working knowledge of other languages, our European cousins certainly put most of us to shame. One goal in my new retirement- learn another language! Thank you Gary great content as usual. 🥰🏴🇬🇧
One factor to consider as an English speaker ever dealing with Germans is that a very high percent of their population speaks good english, I've only met 1 German so far doesn't speak English, every other german I've met speaks English and I love their accent.
I used to work in Germany, and many Germans who are older, and not using their English have forgotten much of it or are unconfident in using it. I met two younger Germans who were too shy to use their English so it’s good that I could speak. German as a strong second language
The east coast New England Canada cruise season is relatively short. Late July to early November. I live in Portland Maine and we get one or two cruise ships a day in August to October. Europa 2 made two stops here. I hadn’t heard of them either. There may have been more from that line which stopped at Bar Harbor.
Thanks. Just a comment of German food. I worked in Stuttgart area for several months a few years back. The food was SO good. Smaller portions than in the US, but the quality was better overall. The produce was great. Pork products were really good. And I missed the taste of the bread for months when I left. I’m not surprised about the charge for water, that seems normal. Yes it is surprising tiring to be surrounded by a different language all the time. The tip about traveling companions is a good one. But instant translation with the google app has become indispensable for me when in a non English country. You can see the translation, and you can talk and it’ll repeat your words out loud in the desired language. Not perfect, but it cuts the stress.
I know in some areas you can charter Yachts which honestly the cost can be about the same for first class cruising. I would *love* to see you do one or 2 chartered Yacht reviews. For example a few years ago you could charter one from LA to Catilina for like 20k (this is the whole boat so you could split cost with friends) - and with that you had basically everything you wanted and it was very personal. For people like me who are not good with social situations I prefer the private get always and money is not really a factor for me personally.
I'm in the same boat. Crowded cruise ships do nothing for me, although Silversea, Seabourn or Regent Seven Seas work. I like very upscale hotels with towel and pool service so people can't hog all the chairs, which seems to happen on cruise ships.
Very popular in the Virgin Islands where a 2-person crew (usually a couple) and their ship might sleep 4~8 and can rent out for a week pretty competitively vs the same time at a big, all-inclusive resort. Depends on one's group and whom one charters with. My cousin and her husband would do this . . . exceptional privacy, customized meals, not too many lectures or theatre entertainment.
As I recall, Hapag LLoyd had a ship that sailed the Great Lakes during the summer months some years ago. You could sail between Toronto and Chicago or reverse. The ship called at ports on both sides of the border. I think it was called the Christopher Columbus 2. Interestingly, there was a ship called the Christopher Columbus that also sailed the Great Lakes and was a sister ship to the Andrea Doria.
I love your videos! I've only been on two; Seaborn and Paul Gauguin--I loved them both. I d on't consider myself a cruiser per se, but I might go again. This cruise line seems right up my alley. I don't shy away from different languages because I feel they're more immersive. I speak French, enough to feel comfortable, and a little German. But again, keep up the great work! I may go cruising again!
Hi Gary, I know you have traveled with Ponant before, but I highly recommend you try their icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot. We have traveled with Ponant multiple times because of the expedition itineraries they offered. But because of Le Commandant Charcot’s ability to break ice, it takes passengers to places no other cruises can reach. We cruised to geographical North Pole in 2022. In 2024, we will travel half-circumnavigation of Antarctica from New Zealand to Ushuaia. Even though it’s a French company, but there were always a good number of non-French speaking passengers. A lot of Americans. All crews are bi-linguals. When we went on zodiacs, they always have English speaking guides with non-French speakers. All presentations on board will have separate French and English sessions. Even though it is more expensive than other luxury lines, but everything is included. I can’t even find ways to spend my onboard credits.
Not much to do with H-L, but I've been on bilingual cruises (sort of). The sailings out of San Juan, PR had a significant Spanish-speaking minority and most overhead announcements were in both that language and English. A bit of the entertainment was catered to them - they're bigger dance fans and night owls than folks from the mainland.
I knew right away which line the video was about. My parents ended up on a Hapag cruise because "all their friends had gone and they had to too". There was obviously no language barrier for them but, overall, they didn't feel they fit in with their fellow cruisers. Probably because we are Germans from South America and thus grew up in a totally different environment. They enjoyed their cruise but it ended up being a "one of" and they spent most of their cruising life on Silverseas (yes, they ended up in the "free laundry" category - hahahaha).
We are trying Hurtigruten for an Alaska expedition next year. We wanted something that had more activity and went beyond the standard Alaska seaports. We also like smaller ships. We will see how it goes as I expect it to be much different than our Holland America trip we took to Alaska years ago.
Passengers on the forecastle?! My parents are going to take me on one of these cruises when I graduate. I’m going to start learning to speak German so this might help accelerate my progress? I’m not surprised that most spoke English if needed though because it’s the international business language.
You should take a trip to Germany. Beautiful country, lovely people, excellent food. I came over here after findhing school in Ireland in 1981 and am still here...
I dated a lovely German man and was honestly surprised my preconceptions of what Germans would be like was wrong. I thought they'd be stiff, serious all the time and workaholics. Heck! They can teach any of us how to enjoy life: they prioritize health, vacations, rest, pleasure, and yes, efficiency. So personally, I'm drawn to Germans and their culture. I even love the sound of the German language.😊
This is kind of the opposite of what happened on the Queen Mary 2 when my wife and I recently sailed. They had about 300 or so German speaking guests because the ship was sailing from Hamburg to Quebec. The German speakers ended up having basically their own entirely different program and I couldn't help but wonder if they felt isolated amongst all us English speakers. The ship had a German interpreter to translate all the announcements, but once we hit really high winds and the Captain had to come on and give the bad news that a port call was cancelled. The woman doing the German translation didn't come on until 30 mins later to announce the German version. From her voice, it almost sounded like they woke her up or something. So for that 30 minutes, many of the German guests probably didn't know what was going on. I saw a few other times when German passengers had trouble communicating with the mostly English speaking crew.
Thank you for another very informative and enjoyable video. I am not cruising again anytime soon. However, the details provided continue to help me think about future cruises. I loved the ship interior design. We went on a Viking river cruise last year and enjoyed the ship interior very much. All the best from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺
Hi Gary, You mention that during Lunch and Dinner beers and wines were included. Until now, I took three cruises in total with Hapag-Lloyd and I am afraid to Tell you that you are wrong. These drinks are not included, you have to pay extra. The only included drinks in your fare is the minibar, which is replenished twice a day, all coffee and tea drinks incl. iced tea and when there are special Events like Lunch barbecue or cocktail or welcome/farewell parties. Then drinks are also complimentary.
The language issue I could cope with if I did not have all people feeling sorry for me and wanting to ‘rescue’ me! I had thought that HAPAG Lloyd was a cargo line. So interesting to hear this information about them. A cargo ship cruise would make a great video! Thank you for this one.
Actually, it sounds wonderful! I speak more than enough German to get me into trouble, but eating and sleeping would not be an issue. I'll be doing some homework, thank you.
I have heard of Europa 2 via a TV show called Mighty Cruise Ships that covers multiple different cruise lines. The things I remember about it was that it is quite expensive compared to what I'm used to, and the cruise that they showed, only 80% of the itinerary was set in stone. They did something like a 12 day cruise, and on days 4 and 9 there was no set destination. They had all of the travelers come down to the theater or bar area and vote on 3 different locations to visit on those 2 days. The cruise director and crew on the ship then had about 10 hours to put together excursions for those days since nobody knew what the destinations would be.
MSC proved more of a challenge for language. Twice we booked English speaking tours and twice they overrode the language choice once on the bus and choose German on one and French on the other despite the majority of passengers on the coach being English mother tongue.
I heard of them and also researched them and the "good" itineraries are all German-only language. Oh well.... However, this does open up and opportunity for other cruise lines to replicate some of their itineraries, provide a similar level of service, pricing and done in English. Right now, only specialty expedition ships or small luxury cruise ships have similar itineraries and they generally a lot more expensive. HL fits a good niche pricing category.
You should try Ponant. They have more expedition cruises than any other cruise lines. And it is also all inclusive. You don’t have to pay for anything on board. Even though it’s a French company, but they market heavily to US market and all crews are bilingual.
As for hapag-lloyd maybevits my age but this company has always been greatvto travel with we have flown on there airline many times at very reasonable price the cew are great we sailed within them on the passenger cargo, ships again aoways very good. Its very well known in shipping and transport
Gary, Antarctica travelled has changed since you did the last video on it. The avian flu rules mean you can't sit, kneel, or put a tripod or bag on the ground. Unbelievable views of the ice, seals, whales, and penguins but the new rules can be a little frustrating.
That's alright. No one considers the UK a culinary center of the world either. On a separate note, I feel like if one goes with a friend who speaks German, it might be a better time.
I would bring along my ginormous battery pack and use Google translate to translate conversations on the fly, into text, or I could use some headphones. These days you can translate spoken language on your phone without needing an internet connection so it would work even on expeditions. The huge battery pack would be so I could use the translation the entire day without worrying my phone would run out of power.
From what I understand, the experience on the Europas is the basis for the praise of Hapag-Lloyd. I wonder what your review would’ve been like on that ship.
Choosing an "expedition ship" for your test guaranteed an apples vs. oranges problem that limits the value of this review to average cruisers. Cruises of this kind are highly specialized regardless of the line. I still don't have an idea of how this German line would compare to one of the better-known lines on a more conventional leisure cruise.
I think it's very shortsighted of Haplag-Lloyd to think that everyone drinks alcoholic beverages where others might choose for various reasons, such as health, to drink water.
I'd have to be that person who asks, on the excursion, "Was ist das in Englisch?" and just keep asking so I could hear what I was missing, if possible. Even if the guy manning the skiff/excursion boat didn't speak much English, the fellow passengers on board might then jump in to translate. As I get older, I'm actually learning to not suffer in silence but speak up more. Maybe nobody would help out with translation then I would have to talk about how rude they were. lol! (I'm from the southern U.S. so courtesy is a THING.)
I’m trying to learn German and this would be a safe “total immersion” that when I got lost in the flow I could get English life line thrown. Would the crew get annoyed at me, do you think?
@tipsfortravellers to be fair I only knew thanks to the cruise show event where they had a stall, a recruitment process I went through and the Berlitz guide.
Gate 1 has Norway land cruise tours including a 5 day Hapag-Lloyd Lloyd fjord tour which sounds really good. How would that compare to your windstar Norway tour?
I am on portable oxygen and I felt left out on a royal caribbean cruise. We went to socialize and our dinner was lonely with no one within walking distance to talk to. We only said hi passing at the elevators.
Did you ask to join someone at another table such as a table with 4 to 6 people? I almost always travel solo, but I asked to be put on a table with other people such as 4 to eight people.
Others have told me that when in Europe; if you don't know the native language, find someone under age 35. Most countries teach English-as-a-second-language much better than we teach foreign languages to our kids. Younger Europeans tend to speak English just like you and I.
I'm a bit surprised. I have extended family in Germany and they all speak English. English is commonly taught in school there, or at least it once was. Maybe it depends on the region, but I'm going back to before the wall came down and the country was extremely unified in the way it operated. Things may have changed, but even if they have, anyone over a certain age should be able to converse in English.
@@sharonm.2453 That's not my point. Gary had some thoughts about being an english speaker at a cruise with only few english speaking people at a German Based, good rated cruise line. For German speaking people their are two main cruise lines (aida and Mein Schiff) and lots of other lines, some didn't provide no german programmes, lectures etc
The solution to the language problem is the one I used to employ when attending sports competitions in Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean and Central America as a judging official. Whenever the organisers would give out information and directions solely in Spanish, my response always was "And now we need all of that in English" which they then had to provide us with an English translation.
Nah, that’s a safe bet. Best comedy show I ever saw on the seas was in Allure otS. The really funny guy had incorporated an incident at night with some emergency message over the PA system that woke up half of the ship into his regular standup routine. He was savagely ripping into those folks who caused it, really funny. Halfway through he semi-confronted some folks who were talking amongst themselves. Turns out they were the cause for the nightly incident and he became quite pale. The he ripped into them directly while the grandmother of the group shot back and gave him a run for his money. But it never derailed. It got hilarious, they were good sports and the rest of us got a comedy night to remember.
Gary has not. I have been on their Prima ship, that class is a resort style line. It was a pre maiden cruise, in covid times and things where a bit different. Also it varies per class how the ships are. But loads of kids and I as a vegetarian was not impressed by their food. I think 90+% was German speaking. The Very Unofficial travelguide did Aida in 2021.
Here in Germany the traditional german restaurants are mostly the expensive ones. It's not that easy to cook german food, you need many ingredients of high quality and it takes quite long to cook. The design of the ship is not my taste. But typical german 2023. They built all the same houses and put all the same minimalistic modern but horribly boring interiors in it. You can see this contemporary much in other german lines like MeinSchiff. If I book a luxury-cruise I really like to be impressed. And an MSC Atrium is absolutely more able to do this then that. Or talking luxury: A Queen Mary one. But even Cunard sadly goes with the flow if I watch the renderings of Queen Anne. The Atrium looks like a ZARA-Store.
Onboard a MeinSchiff I never dare to touch anything because I’m afraid that I leave too many fingerprints or other specks that some poor sod has to clean again afterwards. The modern/clean look and the muted colors of light blue, white, beige, chrome and light wood as well as shiny surfaces make the ships feet cold. No character there v
There are no bunk beds on the expedition ships. The bunk beds shown in the video at 7:45 are on the EUROPA 2 and are in the kids section of special family suites of which there are only 7 on board.
I have been in a scenario similar to yours I stayed in the hotel while the guest were 90% Germans. Personally, I do not like German language, I had to adjust to that pretty quick I usual travel solo. I met a few Germans that spoke English. It helped a lot, But the only negative thing I have from that trip is not German language or food. But the men. they were tall and most over 40 stone wearing tiny weeny speedo. To this day I can't erase that from my brain
As an English speaker the prospect of going on a cruise where I don’t have to listen to Americans or Brits is extremely enticing. I realize that Germans can be just as tiresome and pompous but not understanding much of what they’re saying should solve that problem.
Just remember that they will understand almost everything that you say. Or at least get the gist of it. Knowledge of English is pretty wide spread amongst Germans.
It all sounds quite lovely to me. I wouldn't care about being in the minority at all. I'm less interested in socializing than I am the activities, the accommodations, and the service.
Yes. You’ll notice I always say things like “I booked myself on” etc. If I wasn’t there are rules around declaring required when posting on TH-cam and there would be a sign saying “contains paid promotion”
Sooo I am a paid subscriber here and you want me to also be a Patreon subscriber? 🤨 What do I get for being a Patreon subscriber that I don't get as a TH-cam subscriber?
The decoration of that ship is gorgeous!
I think the American designs tend to be a bit more gaudy
I thought that ship looked too gaudy, of course I'm used to Viking.
Looks quite homely to a Norwegian though...
🗻🏞🚢🏘 🐻❄️🐳🦀🦭🦅
The thing is, to most Germans blonde wood and light colours are considered exotic.
And costly.
Their traditional home décor is dark heavy wood.
Often with carved patterns.
Some times with religious influences.
And Tirolean.
🥨🌭🍖🥗🥒🧈🍳🥑🧀🍷🍷🍷🍷🇩🇪🍺🍺🍺🍺
To Scandinavians blonde wood simply means "IKEA" !
Wich of course make us feel right at home...
😘🇳🇴😁🇸🇪😄🇩🇰
Maybe, in this situation of going alone on a cruise, you'd need to get out of your comfort zone and approach some German travellers, and with a little luck, you could join them for dinner and chat with them on excursions. Because, as long as they have the impression that you want to be left alone, they won't approach you.
HAPAG -Lloyd if anyone has an ounce of liner and Atlantic crossing knowledge knows is the remnants of the once 2 great German pre-WW2 lines. Lines that ran such express liners such as the Bremen, Europa, Vaterland and Imperator and were direct competitors to Cunard, White Star and the French lines.
I didn't know that, thank you for the information.
I’ve heard of HAPAG-Lloyd. They had the original four stackers back in the 1890s.
Hapag-Lloyd may be less well-known in the cruising world, but its cargo shipping business is one of the largest in the world.
The H-L cruise division was divested from the cargo operator of the same name a number of years ago. I believe the cruise entity was owned by TUI. They kept the H-L name but it no longer part of the global container shipping company.
correct, HL was since years 100% part of TUI Germany, but since a few years it became part of TUI Cruises wich is 50% Royal Carribean and 50% TUI
A few years ago I did a tour in Africa with a company called Nomad where apart from the crew who were African I was the only non German speaking person on the tour. Nomad do run tours with a German translator on board but this was not one of them so the situation was unusual. I was blessed that all the other guests apart from a young child were fluent in English and were happy to switch to English when I was present. I was very grateful.
Gotta admit, even though I spend time looking at foreign (ie non-American) cruise lines, I’ve never heard of these guys. Thanks for taking us on a trip that, quite frankly, few of us will ever take.
I knew instantly which line you were talking about. I’ve told people about them but truth is, most people can’t afford them, much less get past the language barrier. Having and traveled and worked around the world alone or with maybe a couple of coworkers, I’m used to being in the minority of the crowd. So it wouldn’t bother me. But I might take a friend who spoke German just to make it easier.
I always have to grin a bit about the English language being the predominant language question. I as a non native English speaker have to adapt every where since my mother tongue is not a major language. I and many others adapt.
Your English grammar is excellent. I am envious.
I agree.
I was thinking that those of us who are first-language English are pretty spoiled. I hope those of you who have to ‘get by’ in English don’t feel like second class customers!
@@marymiller2329Thank you.
@@mouselovinladyNot at all, but sometimes I think some people should expect that not everyone is fluent or comfortabele using the English language, especially if 'you' visit a country in f.i. Europe or South America.
I'm a Brit & some people may accuse my next statement as being racial profiling, but on going on holiday having the option of being in a predominantly British/American area or a German dominated area I'd take the German area any time. Certainly no one is perfect but generally they seem more civilised than many of us Brits abroad (less up-selling, less nickle & diming, sensible tipping culture). Regarding the language barrier it can be good to challenge yourself & it highlights you are properly on holiday somewhere different not just "home with the thermostat turned up"
Hold on it depends what socioeconomic group the British elements is aimed at because you generally find the more well healed the better the experience . 100% avoid American because its all,about money where as British of a certain back ground don't tip they are polite but expect good service. They might atvthe end of a holiday give financial rewards for exceptional service but tip is something not done . I often see hard working working classes tipping very generally for not very good service. They seem to think tipping is required. Its not
@@keithnewton8981 unfortunately I have found many “well heeled” brits I’ve cruised alongside to be rather rude and entitled, sadly rude and entitled passengers seems to be a growing feature in many cruise lines recently. Sadly money doesn’t buy class in the broadest sense.
StreakyP, your comment was not racial but cultural.
It's called stereotyping, not racial profiling.
@@keithnewton8981Mate go on an Aussie cruise, none of this bullshit of class, arrogance or heirs & graces 😁🇦🇺🍻
We are Dutch. We adept with languages. So for us...any language is okay...at the end you find a way to understand and to communicate. Ty for the vid.
Yes!!
My husband's original family is from Germany. He speaks a little, took German in high school, but I have non. We have been looking at this cruise line recently. The kids thing put me off, I will stay with Viking.
This is exactly why TFT is so valuable!
I live in Baltimore MD and I’ve seen the Europa 2 in port twice in the past two weeks. Beautiful ship.
As an American, I'd love to give Saga a whirl. Their two new ships Spirit of Discovery & Spirit of Adventure look very posh, boutique-ie. Saga seems like the British equivalent of Viking.
Oh Gary I’m a bit annoyed the large English speaking group didn’t go out there way to include you, they definitely lost out there, I often find that groups on ships act like big school cliques 😂 deliberate or not, I could probably bet they didn’t mix with any of the German passengers either. Interesting change of ship for you and for us to see, cabin looked fab to me as did the food. Interesting re the water, I always find it funny that NCL charge for sparkling water too even though we always have the premier drink package 😁 I’m not keen on still water so ended up with club sodas instead! I think it would really need to be an exceptional itinerary for me to try this line, I rightly or wrongly would feel a little marginalised, I’m embarrassed not to having a true working knowledge of other languages, our European cousins certainly put most of us to shame. One goal in my new retirement- learn another language! Thank you Gary great content as usual. 🥰🏴🇬🇧
One factor to consider as an English speaker ever dealing with Germans is that a very high percent of their population speaks good english, I've only met 1 German so far doesn't speak English, every other german I've met speaks English and I love their accent.
English is taught in school in Germany
I used to work in Germany, and many Germans who are older, and not using their English have forgotten much of it or are unconfident in using it.
I met two younger Germans who were too shy to use their English so it’s good that I could speak. German as a strong second language
The east coast New England Canada cruise season is relatively short. Late July to early November. I live in Portland Maine and we get one or two cruise ships a day in August to October. Europa 2 made two stops here. I hadn’t heard of them either. There may have been more from that line which stopped at Bar Harbor.
Thanks. Just a comment of German food. I worked in Stuttgart area for several months a few years back. The food was SO good. Smaller portions than in the US, but the quality was better overall. The produce was great. Pork products were really good. And I missed the taste of the bread for months when I left.
I’m not surprised about the charge for water, that seems normal.
Yes it is surprising tiring to be surrounded by a different language all the time.
The tip about traveling companions is a good one.
But instant translation with the google app has become indispensable for me when in a non English country. You can see the translation, and you can talk and it’ll repeat your words out loud in the desired language. Not perfect, but it cuts the stress.
I know in some areas you can charter Yachts which honestly the cost can be about the same for first class cruising. I would *love* to see you do one or 2 chartered Yacht reviews. For example a few years ago you could charter one from LA to Catilina for like 20k (this is the whole boat so you could split cost with friends) - and with that you had basically everything you wanted and it was very personal. For people like me who are not good with social situations I prefer the private get always and money is not really a factor for me personally.
I'm in the same boat. Crowded cruise ships do nothing for me, although Silversea, Seabourn or Regent Seven Seas work. I like very upscale hotels with towel and pool service so people can't hog all the chairs, which seems to happen on cruise ships.
Very popular in the Virgin Islands where a 2-person crew (usually a couple) and their ship might sleep 4~8 and can rent out for a week pretty competitively vs the same time at a big, all-inclusive resort. Depends on one's group and whom one charters with.
My cousin and her husband would do this . . . exceptional privacy, customized meals, not too many lectures or theatre entertainment.
Money not a factor! Lucky you! No I am not being sarcastic, if you have it spend it as you wish, you only get one chance in life.
As I recall, Hapag LLoyd had a ship that sailed the Great Lakes during the summer months some years ago. You could sail between Toronto and Chicago or reverse. The ship called at ports on both sides of the border. I think it was called the Christopher Columbus 2. Interestingly, there was a ship called the Christopher Columbus that also sailed the Great Lakes and was a sister ship to the Andrea Doria.
I love your videos! I've only been on two; Seaborn and Paul Gauguin--I loved them both. I d on't consider myself a cruiser per se, but I might go again. This cruise line seems right up my alley. I don't shy away from different languages because I feel they're more immersive. I speak French, enough to feel comfortable, and a little German. But again, keep up the great work! I may go cruising again!
Hi Gary, I know you have traveled with Ponant before, but I highly recommend you try their icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot. We have traveled with Ponant multiple times because of the expedition itineraries they offered. But because of Le Commandant Charcot’s ability to break ice, it takes passengers to places no other cruises can reach. We cruised to geographical North Pole in 2022. In 2024, we will travel half-circumnavigation of Antarctica from New Zealand to Ushuaia. Even though it’s a French company, but there were always a good number of non-French speaking passengers. A lot of Americans. All crews are bi-linguals. When we went on zodiacs, they always have English speaking guides with non-French speakers. All presentations on board will have separate French and English sessions. Even though it is more expensive than other luxury lines, but everything is included. I can’t even find ways to spend my onboard credits.
Not much to do with H-L, but I've been on bilingual cruises (sort of). The sailings out of San Juan, PR had a significant Spanish-speaking minority and most overhead announcements were in both that language and English. A bit of the entertainment was catered to them - they're bigger dance fans and night owls than folks from the mainland.
I knew right away which line the video was about. My parents ended up on a Hapag cruise because "all their friends had gone and they had to too". There was obviously no language barrier for them but, overall, they didn't feel they fit in with their fellow cruisers. Probably because we are Germans from South America and thus grew up in a totally different environment. They enjoyed their cruise but it ended up being a "one of" and they spent most of their cruising life on Silverseas (yes, they ended up in the "free laundry" category - hahahaha).
We are trying Hurtigruten for an Alaska expedition next year. We wanted something that had more activity and went beyond the standard Alaska seaports. We also like smaller ships. We will see how it goes as I expect it to be much different than our Holland America trip we took to Alaska years ago.
Passengers on the forecastle?! My parents are going to take me on one of these cruises when I graduate. I’m going to start learning to speak German so this might help accelerate my progress? I’m not surprised that most spoke English if needed though because it’s the international business language.
You should take a trip to Germany. Beautiful country, lovely people, excellent food. I came over here after findhing school in Ireland in 1981 and am still here...
German is my strong second language so I may try this cruise line someday
I dated a lovely German man and was honestly surprised my preconceptions of what Germans would be like was wrong. I thought they'd be stiff, serious all the time and workaholics. Heck! They can teach any of us how to enjoy life: they prioritize health, vacations, rest, pleasure, and yes, efficiency. So personally, I'm drawn to Germans and their culture. I even love the sound of the German language.😊
He`s much classier as a presenter ...well spoken ...no grunge ...hurray for this kind of Brit :):)
This is kind of the opposite of what happened on the Queen Mary 2 when my wife and I recently sailed. They had about 300 or so German speaking guests because the ship was sailing from Hamburg to Quebec. The German speakers ended up having basically their own entirely different program and I couldn't help but wonder if they felt isolated amongst all us English speakers. The ship had a German interpreter to translate all the announcements, but once we hit really high winds and the Captain had to come on and give the bad news that a port call was cancelled. The woman doing the German translation didn't come on until 30 mins later to announce the German version. From her voice, it almost sounded like they woke her up or something. So for that 30 minutes, many of the German guests probably didn't know what was going on. I saw a few other times when German passengers had trouble communicating with the mostly English speaking crew.
Beer and bratwurst in the Antarctic? Sounds good.
EDIT: Sorry, Arctic trip and Bratwurst.
Thank you for another very informative and enjoyable video. I am not cruising again anytime soon. However, the details provided continue to help me think about future cruises. I loved the ship interior design. We went on a Viking river cruise last year and enjoyed the ship interior very much. All the best from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺
Interesting to see Nikei food being spotlighted as its own thing, rather than as part of a more traditional peruvian menu!
Hi Gary,
You mention that during Lunch and Dinner beers and wines were included. Until now, I took three cruises in total with Hapag-Lloyd and I am afraid to Tell you that you are wrong. These drinks are not included, you have to pay extra. The only included drinks in your fare is the minibar, which is replenished twice a day, all coffee and tea drinks incl. iced tea and when there are special Events like Lunch barbecue or cocktail or welcome/farewell parties. Then drinks are also complimentary.
I enjoyed your education of this line. Though i have more to travel on before i even thonk of this style line. Thank you for full description
The language issue I could cope with if I did not have all people feeling sorry for me and wanting to ‘rescue’ me! I had thought that HAPAG Lloyd was a cargo line. So interesting to hear this information about them. A cargo ship cruise would make a great video! Thank you for this one.
Indeed there are both - Hapag Lloyd cargo and HL Cruises.
@@ValerieJLong I thought that must be the reason! Thank you for the update.
I was gonna say, anyone who lives near a cargo port has definitely heard of them 😅
Actually, it sounds wonderful! I speak more than enough German to get me into trouble, but eating and sleeping would not be an issue. I'll be doing some homework, thank you.
I have heard of Europa 2 via a TV show called Mighty Cruise Ships that covers multiple different cruise lines. The things I remember about it was that it is quite expensive compared to what I'm used to, and the cruise that they showed, only 80% of the itinerary was set in stone. They did something like a 12 day cruise, and on days 4 and 9 there was no set destination. They had all of the travelers come down to the theater or bar area and vote on 3 different locations to visit on those 2 days. The cruise director and crew on the ship then had about 10 hours to put together excursions for those days since nobody knew what the destinations would be.
MSC proved more of a challenge for language. Twice we booked English speaking tours and twice they overrode the language choice once on the bus and choose German on one and French on the other despite the majority of passengers on the coach being English mother tongue.
I've heard of it! It's not a line many Americans take because of the language issue.
I knew about this cruise line. They are listed on seascanner. I'm fluently in both language
yes going with friends
Fully understand where you are coming from and totally share your views.
I heard of them and also researched them and the "good" itineraries are all German-only language. Oh well.... However, this does open up and opportunity for other cruise lines to replicate some of their itineraries, provide a similar level of service, pricing and done in English. Right now, only specialty expedition ships or small luxury cruise ships have similar itineraries and they generally a lot more expensive. HL fits a good niche pricing category.
You should try Ponant. They have more expedition cruises than any other cruise lines. And it is also all inclusive. You don’t have to pay for anything on board. Even though it’s a French company, but they market heavily to US market and all crews are bilingual.
@@ctsao6873 Thanks for the recommendation, much appreciated!
As for hapag-lloyd maybevits my age but this company has always been greatvto travel with we have flown on there airline many times at very reasonable price the cew are great we sailed within them on the passenger cargo, ships again aoways very good. Its very well known in shipping and transport
They charge for water? Yikes, not for me at all since I don't drink alcohol.
Gary, Antarctica travelled has changed since you did the last video on it. The avian flu rules mean you can't sit, kneel, or put a tripod or bag on the ground. Unbelievable views of the ice, seals, whales, and penguins but the new rules can be a little frustrating.
One thing you'd never see on a United States-based cruise is kohlrabi cream soup!
Yum!
Perhaps a Berlitz crash course would open some doors😊
That's alright. No one considers the UK a culinary center of the world either.
On a separate note, I feel like if one goes with a friend who speaks German, it might be a better time.
I would bring along my ginormous battery pack and use Google translate to translate conversations on the fly, into text, or I could use some headphones. These days you can translate spoken language on your phone without needing an internet connection so it would work even on expeditions. The huge battery pack would be so I could use the translation the entire day without worrying my phone would run out of power.
excursions destinations are for me the main consideration and final total e xpected prices
yes german scandinavians dutch tend to be able to communicate in english
i think Emergency Safety should always be made in maximum of languages
From what I understand, the experience on the Europas is the basis for the praise of Hapag-Lloyd. I wonder what your review would’ve been like on that ship.
Choosing an "expedition ship" for your test guaranteed an apples vs. oranges problem that limits the value of this review to average cruisers. Cruises of this kind are highly specialized regardless of the line. I still don't have an idea of how this German line would compare to one of the better-known lines on a more conventional leisure cruise.
you do a fantastic job, thank you
No solo cruiser supplement discount such as PONANT line offers
I think it's very shortsighted of Haplag-Lloyd to think that everyone drinks alcoholic beverages where others might choose for various reasons, such as health, to drink water.
I think this is a thing for more cruiselines. They include an alcholic package, but you have to purchase the non alcholic one.
German food is the best... so actually, I wanted to hear they had more german food all the time.
To be perfectly honest, this cruise is unheard of for a reason 😅
Thanks for another great video. That would not be for me
I'd have to be that person who asks, on the excursion, "Was ist das in Englisch?" and just keep asking so I could hear what I was missing, if possible. Even if the guy manning the skiff/excursion boat didn't speak much English, the fellow passengers on board might then jump in to translate. As I get older, I'm actually learning to not suffer in silence but speak up more. Maybe nobody would help out with translation then I would have to talk about how rude they were. lol! (I'm from the southern U.S. so courtesy is a THING.)
I think that I would enjoy this as I would love to improve my German skills
I thought that was a shipping company. 😅
friends and even partners arent always available for vacations
I would hate a cruise with Hepeg Loyd , a bit like a cruise with MSC. But thanks Gary
I film a ton of Hapag-Lloyd container ships. I didn’t know they had cruise ships.
They don't. Different company. (Like Rolls Royce - there are the cars and there are the plane engines.)
I’m trying to learn German and this would be a safe “total immersion” that when I got lost in the flow I could get English life line thrown. Would the crew get annoyed at me, do you think?
There’s not a lot of chances to practice “real world” conversation around here
Well, you just answered my question at 13 min lol
Id be happy to cruise w you Gary!! English speakers or not!
Travelling alone on a cruise must be difficult at times.
Knew which line this was immediately
You are one of the few!!
@tipsfortravellers to be fair I only knew thanks to the cruise show event where they had a stall, a recruitment process I went through and the Berlitz guide.
Gate 1 has Norway land cruise tours including a 5 day Hapag-Lloyd Lloyd fjord tour which sounds really good. How would that compare to your windstar Norway tour?
Did you mention the gratuity policy? I can only guess . . .
I am on portable oxygen and I felt left out on a royal caribbean cruise. We went to socialize and our dinner was lonely with no one within walking distance to talk to. We only said hi passing at the elevators.
Did you ask to join someone at another table such as a table with 4 to 6 people? I almost always travel solo, but I asked to be put on a table with other people such as 4 to eight people.
When you enter is the dining room for dinner for example, ask the maître d’ to switch you with other people
Others have told me that when in Europe; if you don't know the native language, find someone under age 35. Most countries teach English-as-a-second-language much better than we teach foreign languages to our kids. Younger Europeans tend to speak English just like you and I.
I am Living in Germany often cruise on english-spoken-based ships. I am used not beeing adressed in my mother language 😊
I'm a bit surprised. I have extended family in Germany and they all speak English. English is commonly taught in school there, or at least it once was. Maybe it depends on the region, but I'm going back to before the wall came down and the country was extremely unified in the way it operated. Things may have changed, but even if they have, anyone over a certain age should be able to converse in English.
@@sharonm.2453 That's not my point. Gary had some thoughts about being an english speaker at a cruise with only few english speaking people at a German Based, good rated cruise line. For German speaking people their are two main cruise lines (aida and Mein Schiff) and lots of other lines, some didn't provide no german programmes, lectures etc
The solution to the language problem is the one I used to employ when attending sports competitions in Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean and Central America as a judging official. Whenever the organisers would give out information and directions solely in Spanish, my response always was "And now we need all of that in English" which they then had to provide us with an English translation.
I'd love to be bilingual. I've always found Germans pleasant to speak to and always will speak in English.
Presumably this German line doesn't have the best comedy shows in the industry
Nah, that’s a safe bet.
Best comedy show I ever saw on the seas was in Allure otS. The really funny guy had incorporated an incident at night with some emergency message over the PA system that woke up half of the ship into his regular standup routine. He was savagely ripping into those folks who caused it, really funny.
Halfway through he semi-confronted some folks who were talking amongst themselves. Turns out they were the cause for the nightly incident and he became quite pale. The he ripped into them directly while the grandmother of the group shot back and gave him a run for his money. But it never derailed. It got hilarious, they were good sports and the rest of us got a comedy night to remember.
Good info, nice ship . Unfortunately don't speak German so this is a no go for me.
You say you were all on a cruise no-one knows about. However I see other passengers on the ship.
Has Gary ever done a video on Aida?
Gary has not. I have been on their Prima ship, that class is a resort style line. It was a pre maiden cruise, in covid times and things where a bit different. Also it varies per class how the ships are. But loads of kids and I as a vegetarian was not impressed by their food. I think 90+% was German speaking. The Very Unofficial travelguide did Aida in 2021.
I had heard of them but they are too pricey for me unfortunately.
Here in Germany the traditional german restaurants are mostly the expensive ones. It's not that easy to cook german food, you need many ingredients of high quality and it takes quite long to cook.
The design of the ship is not my taste. But typical german 2023. They built all the same houses and put all the same minimalistic modern but horribly boring interiors in it. You can see this contemporary much in other german lines like MeinSchiff. If I book a luxury-cruise I really like to be impressed. And an MSC Atrium is absolutely more able to do this then that. Or talking luxury: A Queen Mary one. But even Cunard sadly goes with the flow if I watch the renderings of Queen Anne. The Atrium looks like a ZARA-Store.
Onboard a MeinSchiff I never dare to touch anything because I’m afraid that I leave too many fingerprints or other specks that some poor sod has to clean again afterwards.
The modern/clean look and the muted colors of light blue, white, beige, chrome and light wood as well as shiny surfaces make the ships feet cold. No character there v
Top cruise lines don’t have bunk beds. I’ll stick with Seabourn thank you very much.
There are no bunk beds on the expedition ships. The bunk beds shown in the video at 7:45 are on the EUROPA 2 and are in the kids section of special family suites of which there are only 7 on board.
I have been in a scenario similar to yours I stayed in the hotel while the guest were 90% Germans. Personally, I do not like German language, I had to adjust to that pretty quick I usual travel solo. I met a few Germans that spoke English. It helped a lot, But the only negative thing I have from that trip is not German language or food. But the men. they were tall and most over 40 stone wearing tiny weeny speedo. To this day I can't erase that from my brain
imagine if you only speak toisan wenzhou teochiu?
As an English speaker the prospect of going on a cruise where I don’t have to listen to Americans or Brits is extremely enticing. I realize that Germans can be just as tiresome and pompous but not understanding much of what they’re saying should solve that problem.
Just remember that they will understand almost everything that you say. Or at least get the gist of it. Knowledge of English is pretty wide spread amongst Germans.
I think you now must have some perspective on how those who did not grow up speaking English feel.
Traveling around the world is a good excuse to learn other languages.
It all sounds quite lovely to me. I wouldn't care about being in the minority at all. I'm less interested in socializing than I am the activities, the accommodations, and the service.
What do you mean “never heard of”? Hapag Lloyd is one of the oldest and most luxurious of cruise lines.
Do you pay for your cruises?
Yes. You’ll notice I always say things like “I booked myself on” etc. If I wasn’t there are rules around declaring required when posting on TH-cam and there would be a sign saying “contains paid promotion”
Guess u must be rich?, or is TH-cam paying thst well ?
@@carloskleiber8500 It’s possible Gary has a full-time job besides just being a youtubeR.
this cruise looked like a snooze fest
Hapag Lloyd, nobody knows about??? Are you joking??? Lol.
❤️🇨🇦⛄️❄️
French passengers on Ponant will
Not speak English.
Sooo I am a paid subscriber here and you want me to also be a Patreon subscriber? 🤨 What do I get for being a Patreon subscriber that I don't get as a TH-cam subscriber?
The same. The levels and perks are the same 👍🏻
@@tipsfortravellers Which would you prefer I do?